Lort cha

Lort cha

Alternative names	Lort char
Type	Stir-fry
Course	Main
Place of origin	Cambodia
Associated cuisine	Cambodian cuisine
Serving temperature	Hot
Main ingredients	Silver needle noodles, garlic, bean sprouts and scallions or chives, palm sugar, fish sauce, dark soy sauce and fried egg
Food energy (per serving)	890 kcal (3726 kJ)[1]
Nutritional value (per serving)	Protein 16 g Fat 20 g Carbohydrate 160 g

Lort cha (Khmer: លតឆា) is a Cambodian street food dish made by stir-frying silver needle noodles (លត, lort) with garlic, bean sprouts and scallions or chives, as well as greens or cabbage, beef, chicken or pork, in a mixture of palm sugar, fish sauce and dark soy sauce and served with a fried egg.^[1] In 2022, BBC named it as one of the 50 best street foods in Asia.^[2][3]

Preparation

Finely chopped garlic is fried in a wok before adding noodles and the sauce-sugar mixture and stir-frying for a few minutes and then adding blanched bean sprouts and scallions or chives and stir-frying for a few more minutes and serving it with a fried egg on top and finely-sliced chillies, scallions or chives, blanched bean sprouts, and chili sauce, soy and fish sauce on the side.^[1]

The ingredients can also be partially stir-fried separately in three batches, starting with garlic, ginger and marinated pork followed by noodles and then by garlic shoots and gai lan before combing all the stir-fried ingredients and stir-frying them together for a few more minutes and serving with a fried egg on top and bean sprouts, lime halves, and chili oil on the side.^[4]

References

1. Dunston, Lara (7 December 2020). "Cambodian Lort Cha Recipe for Stir Fried Rice Pin Noodles". Grantourismo Travels. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
2. Springer, Kate (23 August 2020). "50 of the best street foods in Asia". Grantourismo Travels. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
3. Hor, Sevichea (1 September 2020). "'Lort cha' on top 50 Asian street foods list of CNN". The Phnom Penh Post. Retrieved 30 March 2024.
4. Busuttil, Lucy (25 October 2022). "Cambodian lort cha". Gourmet Traveller. Retrieved 30 March 2024.